Having admired and worked alongside Community Rail Network and its members for many years, it has been an enormous privilege to join the organisation as interim chief executive for the past eight months.

Whether it has been through our awards, events, marketing campaigns, parliamentary reception, or the wide range of innovative projects delivered every day by our members across Britain, it has been an honour to witness and celebrate the tireless, tenacious work of hundreds of officers and thousands of dedicated volunteers across community rail, who open up our railways and stations to more people, and promote healthier, greener and more inclusive ways to travel.

With September we welcome in autumn, a season of fresh starts. Schools and parliaments are back in session, and my time with the organisation is drawing to a close. It is an exciting time to look ahead.

Rail reforms are changing how our railway is owned and operates. Devolution is shifting more transport decisions away from Westminster and Whitehall to regional and local leaders and those in the devolved nations. There is growing demand for more joined-up, integrated travel options that reshape local transport networks to better serve people and communities and reduce our reliance on the private car. These are big changes. They raise big questions. And for many of those questions, community rail can and must be part of the answer.

Community rail is already rooted in local insight, collaboration, and innovation, helping to bridge gaps – between modes of transport, between policy and lived experience, and between communities and the railway.

The community rail movement is uniquely placed to support a new era of rail – one that is more passenger-focused, locally responsive, and aligned with the social, environmental, and economic goals of the communities our members serve across England, Scotland and Wales. Community rail is an essential movement – and one that is creating a rail network that more people want to travel on.

It has been a pleasure working with you all. I wish you all the very best for the future, and I look forward to continuing to champion your work and the community rail movement for many years to come.

• Bill Freeman, interim chief executive